"It is not the critic who counts... The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood..." - Theodore Roosevelt

Friday, December 07, 2007

Taxi Ride

Several weeks ago, as we were driving back to the office, my crew and I witnessed a lesbian couple in the cab in front of us making out in the back seat. They were oblivious to the moderately moving Edsa traffic as they went about their business.

Just tonight, I witnessed something more horrendous - a couple in the backseat of a cab with their faces almost glued together. I thought they were like the first couple sharing an intimate moment in an inappropriate venue. But a few seconds later, I saw the guy's fist coming down on the girl, over and over, his action rocking the cab side to side. The guy would stop hitting the girl only long enough to glare at her and fix his shirt. The cab driver didn't do anything! He didn't try to stop the guy or even slow down and threaten to throw the guy out. Nothing! Maybe he was worried about the fare and not meeting the "boundary". Sheesshhh... And the girl didn't even try to fight back or even try to stop her boyfriend from hitting her.

I've never seen anything like that. I've interviewed battered women but I've never seen them actually being beaten up. If our car had only caught up to the cab, I would've at least glared at the guy to let him know we saw what he did and that we certainly didn't approve of it. And maybe I would've signaled to the cab driver to bring the girl to the nearest police station or hospital.

My daughters also witnessed the incident. I told them what the boy did was bad. My 6-year old daughter, who was seated on my lap, merely nodded her head. She knows hitting is bad - she doesn't even fight back when she's bullied in school. Maybe it's because I "spare the rod" and opt to talk to them instead. It's just disconcerting that no matter how I try to shield them from the evils in this world, evil will always even out the score.

About Me

a sleep-deprived multi-tasker; a paranoid mom who only wants the best for her daughters; an open-minded feminist who is passionate about her advocacies and beliefs; an ex-b who has mellowed down but wisened up